Let me start off with saying I am a bit of a newbie as I am terribly out of date. The last time I built my own computer was a little over 10 years ago :/

Now, I am looking for a case to fit the bill of what I am wanting/hoping. I am hoping to get a quiet case, or at least as quiet as possible as this will be a gaming system, but it will also second as a media server so I don't want to hear a jet engine when I am trying to be a good boyfiend and watching some drama with the lady~I am a big fan of having a side mounted fan to try and help the GPU be as cool as possible.

Case: If you want a large case, the FT-02 is awesome. CPU: I'd opt for an i5-3570 over the FX-8350-> outperforms it in games and most other tasks and uses 50W less power at load. If you do a lot of video encoding/Handbrake, then the 8 threads on the FX help out. Memory: 2x4GB is plenty. Speed: if Intel, DDR3 1600 is fine. SSD: The Corsair Force GT are kinda meh. If you like Corsair, take a look at the Neutron. New controller, but decent speeds. Alternatives are Samsung 840, 840 Pro, Crucial m4. Video card: ok. Sound card: If this is connected to a media center receiver, just use onboard sound's optical out to your receiver. If your PC is directly connecting to powered speakers, try the onboard sound first. If it doesn't cut it, you can add something like one of the Asus Xonar cards. PSU: Thermaltake 850W, eh? Any chance of selling it back? Even with the FX CPU, your stressed load power is in the ~340W range, and probably ~ 275W while gaming. Lots of nice 500W PSUs that would be pretty quiet while gaming.

You could also opt for hard drives with another capacity. 1.5 TB seems an odd number when 3 TB drives are easily available. I also agree with CA_Steve regarding the SSD but I would like to the Intel SSD's to that list. Intel SSD's have been known to be very reliable.

Don't forget to look at the Fractal Design Mini. Though an mATX case it features anything you would need. And since the NZXT Source 220 features on your list, you may also consider the Corsair Carbide 200R and the Fractal Design Core 3000. Personally, I don't have any issues with having a quiet system placed in a heavily ventilated case. The noise level all depends on the components IMO.

For the PSU's, the general consensus here at SPCR is that you can't go wrong with any of the following PSU's: Kingwin Lazer and Kingwin Stryker, Seasonic X, and Seasonic G-series. The latter is not as quiet as the rest, but it do cost less.

I will be looking for a windowless model with any of the cases I choose. I am not a teen-midtwenties individual wanting to show off my 1337 computer gear any more. No offense to those that like it that look, I have just grown out of it and want something a little more sleek looking. That is why I am really liking how the R4 looks in my books.

The PSU: while I have been lurking here for a while and am well aware that TT is not a welcomed manufacturer, I did win it and would like to take advantage of the $300 PSU

The RAM: I bumped it up to 32gigs because if trends and experts seem to lean that way, I will be needing to buy that amount in 2 years anyways. I figure I will just buy it now, bite the bullet rather than have to try and find memory that is compatible with what I currently have, or just plain out buying brand new RAM

The SSD: Honestly, I haven't looking into it that much, I just picked one that will fulfill my storage/OS requirements. I will look into it more when the time comes, but thanks for the advise

The RAM: I bumped it up to 32gigs because if trends and experts seem to lean that way, I will be needing to buy that amount in 2 years anyways.

um. no. Unless you do 3D modeling, run a DAW with lots of VSTs, run a PC with many virtual machines, simultaneously edit many high resolution images in Photoshop, or some other high memory usage task. If you play games, watch movies and browse, it's a waste of money and power. Most people could easily get away with 4GB today.

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